Hollywood heavyweights Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola and Holly Hunter have joined a growing petition opposing the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), even as the USD 111 billion deal moved a step closer after shareholders voted in favour.
WBD shareholders on Thursday overwhelmingly backed the merger proposal that would see Paramount Skydance absorb Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing the deal closer to completion. However, the transaction is still subject to regulatory approvals in the United States and Europe and could face legal challenges from state attorneys general.
An open letter opposing the merger, launched on April 13, has gathered momentum with 4,194 signatories as of Thursday, up from an initial 1,000.
According to organisers, the list includes film and entertainment industry union members, actors and directors, with more than 75 Oscar winners and nominees among them.
“As filmmakers, documentarians and professionals across the movie and television industry, we write to express our unequivocal opposition to the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger,” the letter states.
“This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it. The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world. Alarmingly, this merger would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four.”
The signatories also include prominent names such as Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Kristen Stewart, Adam McKay, Bryan Cranston, Cynthia Nixon, David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, Glenn Close, Jane Fonda, J.J. Abrams, Jason Bateman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Ruffalo and Yorgos Lanthimos, among others.
The coalition behind the petition organised a rally outside WBD’s Manhattan headquarters ahead of the shareholder vote and has planned further protests in Washington, D.C., including one outside a private dinner hosted by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.
Organisers of the BlockTheMerger.com campaign include the Writers Guild of America, Film Future Coalition, Democracy Defenders Fund, Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment, the American Economic Liberties Project, the Archival Producers Alliance, Free Press, the International Documentary Association, Public Integrity Project and Reporters Without Borders.
